Potential acceptability of ovulation detection kits and RU-486 at two college campuses

Two innovations in fertility research may expand birth control options in the United States. Ovulation detection kits, used alone or in conjunction with barrier methods of contraception, could be used to chart the fertile period. RU-486, when used in conjunction with a prostaglandin, induces early abortion, providing an alternative to conventional vacuum aspiration abortion. To measure the hypothetical acceptability of these methods, the authors surveyed 710 women at two college campuses in California regarding potential use of ovulation detection kits and RU-486. Seventy-one percent of the women in the final sample indicated an interest in using ovulation kits. Of these women, most (72%) were interested in using an ovulation detection kit as a supplement to barrier methods, and 22% indicated they would consider the kit as a sole method of birth control. More than 68% of the women in the sample indicated they would choose an abortion if faced with an unwanted pregnancy, and 60% would hypothetically choose RU-486 in preference to a conventional pregnancy termination. The most frequently cited reason for preferring RU-486 rather than conventional methods of abortion was to avoid the risks associated with the vacuum aspiration technique.